Sainsbury’s are launching new eco friendly milk bags and jugs as an alternative to plastic bottles. The move comes as they try to reduce the carbon footprint of milk consumption. They have partnered with Dairy Crest to launch the products which should soon be on sale. They will start by stocking a whole milk bag which will be followed by semi skimmed and skimmed milk bags next year. The new product contains 75% less plastic than the plastic bottles and they take up less space when disposed of. The product is also 6p cheaper to buy. There have been reports that some customers have found them difficult to use and have experienced leaks and spills but it will be interesting to see if people switch from plastic bottles. Tesco are also planning to launch a similar product in their stores.

According to this article people are increasingly moving away from the humble biscuit onto more premium alternatives. It seems the rich tea, custard cream and digestive biscuit don’t quite hit the spot anymore when it comes to choosing a biscuit. Figures from market research company Nielsen have shown that people are instead buying more indulgent biscuits such as cookies and extra thick shortbreads. Sales of basic biscuits have fallen by 4.5% of the last year whilst sales of gourmet biscuits have increased by 20% in the same period. It is previously popular biscuits such as nice, jammie dodgers and custard creams that appear to be suffering as people demand better quality more premium biscuits.

The wedding firm Confetti has become one of the latest British companies to go into administration. The company was one of the leading wedding planning and supplies businesses. It will shut all five of its shops and make 48 of its 94 redundant. The move leaves thousands of couples wondering whether they will get goods and services they have already paid for. A spokesman for Confetti has said that they will aim to order the 1,100 outstanding orders and that its insurance partner Acumus will honour 3,000 outstanding wedding and honeymoons policies.

According to this article petrol prices are set to top £6 a gallon by the bank holiday weekend at the end of the month. Prices are currently up 14p a litre on last year the equivalent of around £7a tank. It is claimed, however, that the average price will rise 3.5p a litre before the end of the month making the average price £125.9p. The prices are being driven up by an increase in crude oil prices. In addition to this the government is likely to increase fuel duty and VAT will also be going up to 20% in the new year. The combination of all these factors makes for some alarming increases for the average motorist at the petrol pumps and it is likely we will see further record rises in the coming months.

This is interesting its a drinks container that you can eat when you have finished your drink. Made of seaweed extract agar the Jelloware containers come in flavours like lemon basil, ginger mint and rosemary beet. When you have finished your drink you can either eat them or alternatively they can be thrown onto the garden as the sugar galactose they are made of can be used to nourish plants. It should save a lot of washing up after a party.

If this article is to be believed we could soon be paying a lot more for items on the high street. The article suggests that prices are set to go up by as much as 5% next month. This is partly due to an impending rise in VAT but also down to higher manufacturing costs. This could mean that the consumer is paying around 5% more at the tills. Among retailers who have said they will need to raise prices are Next and Marks and Spencer.

According to this article the world’s biggest Apple store has recently opened in Covent Garden. When the store opened last week customers were queuing the night before it was due to open. The store opened in a Grade II listed building on The Piazza which has been restored using English oak and York stone. It will employ 300 staff.

According to this article diesel cars have overtaken petrol cars in sales for the first time. The rise has been put down to cash strapped motorists looking to save money. The fact that a diesel engine is 15% to 20% more fuel efficient than a petrol one appears to be a major selling point. The Society of Manufacturers and Traders latest survey showed that in July diesel cars accounted for a 50.6% of the market. Alternative vehicles took a 1.4% share with petrol making up the difference. The figures appear to show that motorists are are looking at the overall cost of owning a vehicle rather than just the initial purchase price. Diesel is also increasingly the choice for company car fleet managers despite the fact the initial cost is often more expensive.